Max Verstappen "selected another gear in the last 12 months"

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has praised his star driver Max Verstappen, saying the Dutch driver has "selected another level" since his FP3 shunt in Monaco last season.

Verstappen arguably has been the best driver of the season so far, as the 21-year-old has accumulated two podiums already amidst some very consistent performances in the RB15.

His podium in Spain was his latest achievement, beating both Ferrari cars in the progress. Horner has been very impressed by the Dutchman, who has extracted every inch from his Red Bull package.

"Really in the last 12 months since Monaco last year he selected another gear and his performance has been phenomenal and he’s extracted every ounce of performance out of the car," the Brit told Motorsport.com.

Verstappen impressively sits third in the drivers' championship, wedged between the two Mercedes cars ahead and the two Ferrari cars behind.